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 For the Dhamma/Truth to have any use at all, the teachings must rule the Mind and Transform it. Otherwise it is just a lot of talk and high sounding philosophy. To follow the "religion" or accept Truth means to accept the Dhamma for life, Not just when it is convenient to do so!
Acceptance means to allow Metta/unconditional love, Truth and logic to guide the Mind, and to remove Greed, Hatred, irrationality and Delusion.. and all the passions like anger, lust, selfishness that follow therefrom. The essence of, the foundation of a spiritual life is Morality/Sila and for the Buddha what He taught are 5 secular Precepts suitable for anyone who wishes to lead a life based on Love, Virtue and Compassion.
Renunciation is NOT only for Monks and Nuns, for it is NOT an Escape from the World but action without SELFish motives; arising from a realisation of the delusion of the SELF and the futility of leading life dictated at all times by the concept of "I", "My" and "Mine". Letting this go is True Renunciation, not merely the renunciation of clothes for a set of robes, fine china for an alms bowl or home for a monastery.
True Salvation is IMPORTANTLY not a post-mortem goal but a Liberation in the here and now from the bondage of selfish desires aimed only at the gratification of insatiable wants, and passions that fetters us when young and frustrates us when old. With True salvation is the liberation from all Greed, Hatred and Ignorance, Freedom from all that fetters us to more pain and suffering, living life freed from being a slave to an imagined Ego. True freedom realises the Emptiness of all boundaries of "I", "My" and "Mine", that which sees only Dependent Origination of all phenomena. That is the Ultimate Happiness the Buddha experienced, of Happiness here and now in every moment.
 "Some have too Much and yet do Crave, I have Little and Seek NO more; They are But Poor though much more they have, And I am Rich with little store. They poor, I rich; they beg, I give; They lack, I have; they Pine, I Live!"
 A talk on emptiness given to medical students in 1961 by Ajahn Buddhadasa. "We don't have to do anything very much to make ourselves happy, we don't have to go to any great trouble All we have to do is to empty our minds of greed, aversion and delusion, or in other words to make it empty of grasping at and clinging to 'I' and 'mine'. When the mind is empty of greed, aversion and delusion then it's truly empty and all Dukkha comes to an end. Even kamma will of itself come to an end."
 "SELF" There is NO essential 'Self'. Self is ascertained in terms of the 5 Aggregates. What we identify with as our "Self" is actually the interaction of the 5 Aggregates which forms a system. Ignorance is when we identify with this as an individual entity rather than as a changing process. We foolishly impose a permanent, separate Self onto this ceaseless interaction of processes.
The experiencing of life from the deluded perspective of identification with this unchanging centre, this independent separate identity, is the Ignorant Premise that underlies life in Samsara. Craving/Tanha, the cause of Suffering is fuelled by this erroneous perception which separates one who desires, the object of desire and the desire. All things are now seen as "I', "My" or "Mine".
When one no longer sees in this way, desires will cease since they are the result of thinking in terms of separateness or selfhood.
 "In spite of my learning, if I am NOT able to put it into practise, I am NO better than an uneducated man". We can take Refuge in the Wisdom of the Buddha; a Wisdom which is NOT TO BE found in the historical past, BUT ONLY WHEN WE WALK WITH IT, LIVE WITH IT.
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" Furthermore, a sage at peace is not born, does not age, does not die, is unagitated, and is free from longing. He has nothing whereby he would be born. Not being born, will he age? Not aging, will he die? Not dying, will he be agitated? Not being agitated, for what will he long? "
 Physical suffering is Inevitable, Mental Misery is Optional.
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Just because we have chosen to walk a spiritual path we will not be free from the emotions and feelings that are part of being human. -
We will still get angry, be annoyed with people and get frustrated. All of these emotions are normal. -
What changes, as we move along the spiritual path, is how we process these emotions, what we do with them and how they affect our life. -
They will not have the same effect on us as they once did and we will learn to choose our emotional responses to situations and even, at times, choose not to respond at all. This is when our spiritual and emotional being is in balance. -
The belief that once we step onto the spiritual path we will no longer experience emotions such as anger is false. It is unreasonable to expect that of ourselves, just as it is unreasonable to expect that we will always respond to every situation within the context of our spiritual learning. -
We will still feel anger and even fear, but we will not feel it in the same way. -
The emotions that once had control over us will now be part of an experience that we will assess with calm detachment, just as we would consider on which side of the street we want to walk on.
 Thig XII.1 Punnika
Punnika and the Brahman
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[Punnika:] I'm a water-carrier, cold,
always going down to the water
from fear of my mistresses' beatings,
harrassed by their anger & words.
But you, Brahman,
what do you fear
that you're always going down to the water
with shivering limbs, feeling great cold?
[The Brahman:]
Punnika, surely you know.
You're asking one doing skillful kamma
& warding off evil.
Whoever, young or old, does evil kamma
is, through water ablution,
from evil kamma set free.
[Punnika:]
Who taught you this
— the ignorant to the ignorant —
'One, through water ablution,
is from evil kamma set free?'
In that case, they'd all go to heaven:
all the frogs, turtles,
serpents, crocodiles,
& anything else that lives in the water.
Sheep-butchers, pork-butchers,
fishermen, trappers,
thieves, executioners,
& any other evil doers,
would, through water ablution,
be from evil kamma set free. If these rivers could carry off
the evil kamma you've done in the past,
they'd carry off your merit as well,
and then you'd be
completely left out.
Whatever it is that you fear,
that you're always going down to the water,
don't do it.
Don't let the cold hurt your skin."
[The Brahman:]
I've been following the miserable path, good lady,
and now you've brought me
back to the noble.
I give you this robe for water-ablution.
[Punnika:]
Let the robe be yours. I don't need it.
If you're afraid of pain,
if you dislike pain,
then don't do any evil kamma,
in open, in secret.
But if you do or will do
any evil kamma,
you'll gain no freedom from pain,
even if you fly up & hurry away.
If you're afraid of pain,
if you dislike pain,
go to the Awakened One for refuge,
go to the Dhamma & Sangha.
Take on the precepts:
That will lead to your liberation.
 When the Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment, He realised that the Dhamma that He had rediscovered "is profound.... and only understood by the Wise for himself". For the average worldling mired in the quicksand of sensuality, it will indeed be difficult to see the Noble Truths, to understand the Truth of Suffering when he is assaulted by a world that indulges in sensual gratification. He will find it most difficult to see that the cause of his suffering is CRAVING when every culture, every magazine and every advertisement promotes the "happiness" of the satisfaction of Greed and Wants. How is he to see the PEACE of having NO WANTS when consumerism is the mantra of worldly success, when more is considered good. Only those with "LITTLE DUST in their eyes" will benefit from the Buddha's Teachings. For the sake of these few the Buddha taught for many years. Would this not make the Great Teacher wearied? Yes, of course, as He Himself had pondered, Would not the DELUDED fail to understand?, YES there will be many who will walk away. BUT FOR THAT FEW with LITTLE DUST in their eyes, the Great Teacher will toil, will Teach. and Will Train, SO THAT THEY will be released from the Sufferings of Samsara. For them, He strived for 45 years exhorting them to walk the Noble Path. Even on His deathbed, He encouraged all to Strive on with Mindfulness. For the Sangha of the past and the present, it is still for the sake of the FEW with Little Dust in their eyes, that the Dhamma is taught, and while the sound of the drum may be fading as the Great Teacher had foreseened, and while there will be many who will chose to listen not, there are still a few good men and women, who are striving in accordance with the Teacher's words. For them, please carry on through all the trials and tribulations of this unsatisfactory world.
 Sujata's Aspiration vs Gotama's Aspiration |
| | It is traditional for Buddhists to make aspirations. But what do they aspire for and how do they do it? Some following local cultures would offer for eg lights, flowers, etc before making their aspiration. And many will wish for material and worldly gains such as wealth, good health and happiness. What is the true perspective of making aspiration? Let us go back to the time just before the Buddha's Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. There was Sujata who has just got her wish fulfilled after making her request from the Bodhi Tree. She came back to offer the milk-rice as a "repayment" to the "Deva of the Bodhi Tree". At the same time our Bodhisatta had made his aspiration that he will not rise from his seat until he attained enlightenment to the Truth he was searching. He then selected the Bodhi Tree as the venue for his meditation. That is when Sujata mistakenly thought that the Bodhisatta was the deva of the Bodhi Tree and offered Gotama his meal. He then strived on to attain enlightenment on that night. Now what is the right method of making aspiration? Aspiration is NOT making WISHES!
A Buddhist makes aspiration to re-focus his spiritual strive towards Enlightenment.
Making an Aspiration should be carried out after (and not before) one has performed a meritorious deed such as Dana (generosity). "By the power of Truth from these meritorious actions of mine, may I continue to have opportunity to learn the Dhamma, to practice them and to realize them until I attain Nibbana." One may aspire for worldly gain with the objectives to support his/her spiritual striving.
"With this healthy body, may I be able to walk this Path with great determination and strength until I reach the Peace of Nibbana"
Let us focus our good merits to achieve more meaningful actions that will contribute to the well being of both others and our selves. "By the power of Truth, may you continue to walk the Noble 8 fold Path that our Teacher taught ". |
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